POA vs. Social Security Representative Payee - do I need both for my mother?

POA and Representative Payee are two completely different things in the eyes of SSA. Your Power of Attorney actually has NO AUTHORITY when it comes to Social Security matters - that's why the social worker mentioned it. As Rep Payee, you would receive her benefit payments directly and be responsible for using them for her needs, plus filing an annual accounting form to SSA showing how you spent the money. The main advantage is that it formalizes your role with SSA and gives you authority to communicate with them about her benefits. If she can still participate in decisions, you might not need to be payee yet, but it might be good to set it up before her condition deteriorates further. You'll need to visit or call the local SSA office to apply.

I went through this exact situation with my dad last year! The POA is meaningless to Social Security - it's the most frustrating thing. Even with a valid POA, I couldn't access any info about his benefits or resolve payment issues. Becoming his rep payee was actually pretty straightforward. I brought the POA documents anyway (just in case), his ID, my ID, and they had me fill out Form SSA-11. They asked some questions about his condition and why he needed help managing funds. They did NOT require a doctor's statement in our case, but they might if there's any question about whether it's necessary. The biggest difference now is that I can actually TALK to SSA about his benefits, and the check comes to a special account I set up for his expenses. I have to submit a simple report each year showing how the money was spent.

The yearly reporting isn't bad at all. You just categorize the spending (housing, food, medical, etc.) - they don't ask for receipts for everything. They mostly want to make sure the money is being used for the beneficiary's needs and not being misused. As long as you're legitimately using the funds for your grandma's care and expenses, there's nothing to worry about.

Listen, I went through absolute HELL trying to help my mother without being her rep payee. SSA would NOT talk to me even with the fancy lawyer-prepared POA documents!!! When she got an overpayment notice and I tried to handle it, they refused to even acknowledge me. It was a NIGHTMARE. The rep payee process is pretty simple compared to getting a POA done. The big difference is you're officially recognized by SSA and the payment comes to you to manage. POA is recognized by banks, doctors, etc. but means NOTHING to Social Security. BUT... there's one huge problem with dealing with SSA - actually reaching a human to start the process. I spent WEEKS trying to get through on the phone (literally 30+ calls).

I had the same problem reaching SSA, but I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person in about 20 minutes. It was such a relief after weeks of failed attempts. They basically call SSA for you and when they get someone, they connect you. Saved me so much frustration when setting up the rep payee stuff for my mom. You can check out how it works at claimyr.com or see a demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - was definitely worth it for me!

My brother has POA for our mom but not rep payee and its been a HUGE problem!! SS office keeps sending notices directly to mom who doesn't understand them, and when there was a problem with her payment last year my brother couldnt even talk to them about it!! Get the rep payee set up now while she can still possibly answer some questions and participate. Its ALOT harder when they get worse trust me.

one thing nobody mentioned yet is that if your mother gets Medicaid for the nursing home, being rep payee makes it easier to make sure her patient liability payment is made correctly every month. i do this for my aunt and it helps keep everything organized for the annual medicaid reviews too

Important point about Rep Payee vs. POA: With a POA, you're acting as her agent based on her direction. With Rep Payee, you're recognized by SSA as the person authorized to receive and manage her benefits. You'll need to complete Form SSA-11 and likely Form SSA-787 (medical certification). The process typically requires: 1. Contacting SSA to request the appointment 2. Completing the application forms 3. Providing ID for both you and your mother 4. Documentation of her condition 5. Having a short interview (can be done by phone now) Once approved, benefits will be paid directly to you on her behalf, and you'll need to open a separate account specifically for managing these funds. You'll file Form SSA-623 annually showing how you spent the funds, categorized by type (housing, food, etc).

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I had no idea that my POA wasn't valid with Social Security - that alone makes it worth becoming her representative payee before any issues come up. I'm going to call SSA tomorrow (or use that Claimyr service if I can't get through) to start the process. I'll let you know how it goes. I really appreciate all the advice and personal experiences shared here!

One more thing to be aware of - if your mom has any assets or other income besides SS, the rep payee authority ONLY covers the Social Security payments. You'll still need the POA for everything else (bank accounts, investments, property, etc). So you'll end up needing BOTH.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been both POA and rep payee for my grandmother for the past 3 years. The rep payee process was actually much easier than getting the POA done originally! One tip that helped me: when you call SSA, have your mom's Social Security number, your relationship to her, and a brief explanation of why she needs help managing her benefits ready. They'll ask these questions right away. Also, the annual reporting (Form SSA-623) is really not as scary as it sounds. I just keep a simple spreadsheet throughout the year tracking her SS money - rent, groceries, medical bills, etc. Takes me maybe 30 minutes to fill out the form each year. The peace of mind knowing I can actually communicate with SSA about her benefits is worth the extra paperwork. Good luck with the process!

I'm going through this exact situation with my mom right now and wanted to add a few practical tips that have helped me: First, when you call SSA to start the rep payee process, try calling right when they open at 8am - I found the wait times are much shorter then. If you do use that Claimyr service someone mentioned, it's totally worth it to avoid the phone tree nightmare. Second, bring a folder with copies of everything even if they don't specifically ask for it: her Social Security card, your ID, the POA documents (even though they won't recognize them for SS purposes), any medical records you have, and a list of her monthly expenses. Being over-prepared made my appointment go much smoother. One thing that surprised me is that they actually encouraged me to keep managing her other finances with the POA while handling just the Social Security payments as rep payee. The SSA worker said it's completely normal to wear both hats and they work together well. Also, if your mother's nursing home has a social worker familiar with rep payee processes, they can be a great resource. Ours helped me understand exactly what documentation would be helpful and even offered to provide a letter about mom's care needs if SSA requested it. The whole process took about 5 weeks for me, and having direct communication with SSA has already saved me headaches when a payment was delayed last month. Definitely worth doing sooner rather than later!